A study has reported that respiratory virus is often reported in community-acquired pneumonia in children of all ages and geographical regions irrespective of the country’s national income or region. This has mandated the importance of limiting antibiotic use in children with viral pneumonia and developing a treatment and prevention approach that targets common respiratory viruses to reduce the burden of childhood pneumonia. 

The prevalence of respiratory viruses differs significantly. In this systematic review and metanalyses, the result showed that one or more respiratory viruses were identified in 55.0% of pediatric patients with clinically diagnosed community-acquired pneumonia. Respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus were the most commonly reported causes of pediatric pneumonia globally, with other viruses detected in about 1-9% of the cases. 

No significant variation was seen in prevalence by the country’s national income, under-5 mortality rate, or WHO region. 

[Resource Link: Prevalence of respiratory viruses in community-acquired pneumonia in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis - The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health]